The phallus was emblematized to become a symbol of luck or fertility, as well as believed to have apotropaic functions. The fascinus, as the symbol, was in fact so sacred that it governed a local cult of the Roman populace. These pendants were worn protectively by all sorts of people, especially young children according to Varro and Pliny the Elder. However, nor was the phallus limited to amulet form: the motif is also commonly found on reliefs, frescoes and lamps from the Greco-Roman world.
The ‘manus fica’, “fig hand”, was an obscene hand gesture that was thought to represent female genitalia. Romans associated the fig with female fertility and eroticism, as the fruit was sacred to Bacchus. Whether made as an apotropaic gesture, worn as an amulet, or affixed to a larger object, the manus fica was used for magical protection against the evil eye. The pater familias, the head of the family, would make the manus fica sign during the Lemuria festival to ward evil spirits away from the household.
For more information on apotropaic amulets, please read our blog post: Apotropaic Art: Amulets and Phallic Pendants in Ancient Cultures.
